LABRADOR JOURNAL 157 



pleasure into a distant oljji'd; Imt, I venture to 

 affirm that this species cannot (whatever any 

 other may do) for I have taken nutch pains to 

 ascertain the fact.^ On the approach of danger, 

 he retreats into a hole, if possible; btit where he 

 cannot find one, he seizes upon the best shelter 

 that offers, sinks his nose between his fore legs, 

 and defends himself by a sharp stroke of his tail, 

 or a sudden jerk of his back. As the quills are 

 bearded at their points, and not deeply rooted in 

 the skin, they stick firmly into whatever they 

 penetrate. Great care shottld be taken to extract 

 them immediatelv; otherwise, bv the muscular 

 motion of the animal into which they are struck, 

 enforced by the beards of the quills, they soon 

 work themselves quite through the part; but I 

 never perceived the puncture to be attended with 

 worse sym2)toms, than that of a chirurgical in- 

 strument.^ 



This porcupine chanced to be upon the ground; 

 and my greyhound, which always attends me and 

 never had seen one before, no sooner set eyes on 

 him, than he struck at him with the same resolu- 

 tion that he would have done at a fox. I thought 

 he would instantly have gone mad. His tongue, 

 the whole inside of his mouth, his nose and face 

 were stuck as full of quills, as it was possible foi- 

 tlicin to be; insomuch, that his mouth was gagged 

 wide open, and he was in such agony, Hial he 



'This is a rommon " received opinion " at tho prospnt day, but Cart 

 wrif^ht's statement is rorreot. 



- It is to he rfmornbcTed that " ciiinirniciil iiiHlruincntw " in those days 

 were not aneptic. 



